Love Gives, Love Takes
by Doctor Addison Montgomery
Summary: SmithyRachel. After everything blows up with Louise and she decides to stand by her husband Smithy finds love in a place he would never have believe possible Dan's sister. Please review! x
1. Love Breaks and Love Divides

**Love Gives, Love Takes  
****Chapter One**

Disclaimer - I do not own the Bill (I wish!) or any of it's characters but I do own Rachel and Lee Casper. Or the song 'Love Gives, Love Takes' by The Corrs.

_Just when I thought I was safe  
__You found me in my hiding place  
__I promised never again  
__I wouldn't give my heart but then  
__Closer, closer, I moved near you  
__The way I want you makes me fear you_

'This can't be happening.' Smithy sighed as the thoughts passed through his mind. He put his head in his hands and tried to force back his tears of loss. 'This cannot be happening.'

"You alright Serge?" PC Dan Casper asked coming into the vacated interview room which Smithy had taken over. He blinked as he looked up and brushed a solitary tear away.

"Yeah." He shook his head as if to clear the emotional fog that had settled in around him.

Dan sat down opposite the sergeant and placed his hands on the table in front of him.

"Smiffy, it's Louise I came to talk to you about." Dan paused waiting for a reaction but Dale Smith barely flinched, Dan was worried he'd never seen his sergeant like this - but then he hadn't been at Sun Hill when Kerry was shot.

Dan exhaled deeply and continued. "Louise and Pete are both being jailed for the night. Pete Larson is expected to get a life sentence and Louise's will probably depend on how she stands up in court. She'll probably get a few years though."

"No." Smithy exclaimed loudly. "She's innocent!"

"I'm sorry Smiffy, I really am."

_Love breaks and love divides  
__Love laughs and love can make you cry  
__I can't believe the way  
__That love can give  
__And love can take away._

After a few minutes Dan stood up and looked over at Smithy who had been silent since his previous outburst.

"Shall we go? You don't want to be stuck in this place all night."

Smithy looked up too. "Don't I?"

"No, come on serge. It's my sister's birthday dinner tonight and we're having it at my flat. You should come."

"Nah, I can't gatecrash your sister's birthday party can I now?"

"Rachel wouldn't mind. She'd love to have you there, honest." Dan's eyes twinkled for a second but Smithy wasn't in the mood to notice.

"Fine." Dale agreed. "Thank you, Dan."

_I find it hard to explain  
__It's crazy but it's happening  
__And I'm falling again  
__Much further than I've ever been._

On the way to Dan's fkat Smithy made him stop at the convenience store.

"Wait here, I'll be two seconds." Smithy told him as he hopped out of the car.

"What else was I gonna do?" Dan asked to no one in particular.

Inside the shop Smithy scanned up and down the aisles searching for something to give to Dan's sister. It had been a long time since he had bought anything for a girl. He could never buy anything for Louise because Pete might become suspicious and before that it had been Kerry. It had been a year since the shooting now. Smithy felt another stab of pain.

"C'mon." Dan muttered tapping against the steering wheel with his hand.

"Sorry!" Smithy apologised opening the door and getting in. Dan looked up as he heard a clink of glass from with the plastic bag.

Dan started the engine and turned off towards his flat.

_Falling deeper than the ocean  
__I am lost in this emotion_

They got out of the car and Smithy followed Dan up the steps to his second floor flat. The door opened just as they arrived and they were greeted by a welcome gust of warm air and the other two members of the Casper clan.

"Hey Dan." His brother Lee greeted and Rachel kissed him on the cheek.

"And who's this?" Lee asked.

"Dan's friend." Rachel informed her brother before anyone else could say anything. Smithy was surprised at this and was even more so when Dan's sister kissed his cheek too.

"Smithy." He introduced himself.

"Happy birthday sis." Dan said coming into the room properly after shutting his front door.

"Yeah." Smithy echoed and handed over the bag and taking a proper look at Dan's sister.

Rachel had shoulder length dark brown hair which framed her face and deep hazel eyes. Smithy knew appearances didn't count for anything and he didn't know why he thought it but he was glad that she was a brunette. After his past experiences he was sworn off blondes and especially red heads.

"Ooh thank you."She smiled thankfully.

"I'll take that." Lee grinned and disappeared into the kitchen.

"Sit down guys." Rachel told them, pointing to the table which was set for four. She noticed Smithy's surprised expression.

"My friend cancelled." She explained.

"Oh." Smithy smiled taking his seat next to Dan and opposite Rachel.

_Love breaks and love divides  
__Love laughs and love can make you cry  
__I can't believe the way  
__That love can give  
__And love can take away._

Lee brought the meal out and served it to them. Smithy found himself enjoying the evening in spite of all that had happened that day and began to relax into the atmosphere. That was until his phone began to ring. It was Louise.

_I can't believe the ways that love can give  
And love can take away._

* * *

**First chapter of a new fanfic up for you! I hope you like it, no Smithy/Kerry this time but I'm hoping to develop Rachel as a character so please give this story a chance! I'd love some feedbacks and any ideas on what you think should happen. Thanks for reading and I will be updating my other fics as often as humanly possible at the moment.**

**Hugs Luv, Phoenix **


	2. To The Future

**Love Gives, Love Takes  
****Chapter Two : To The Future**

Hesitantly Smithy flipped his phone open and let his finger hover over the answer button before finally hitting it.

"Hello?"

"Dale, it's me." Even over the phone Smithy could sense how close to crying Louise was. "I just had to say I'm sorry, I have to give up my phone but I needed to talk to you first. I love you Smithy but you know this has to end, it's for the best."

"I know." Smithy told her, calmer than he thought he'd be. Maybe it was the good food and the wine in his system.

"You do?" Louise asked.

"I want what's best for you Louise, you know I love you too but this could never work. I think we always knew that."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I love you."

"I know. I promise I'll come to your court hearing."

"Thanks Dale."

"I still love you, but I never should have got in the way of you and Pete. I hope some day you can be happy..." It was too late Louise had gone.

Rachel smiled at her brothers. They always managed to make her birthday special. She was glad that Dan had brought Smithy with him. Rachel had seen him several times but they had never met. She had asked Dan to tell her about him and she liked what she had heard. She was impressed by Smithy's loyalty to her brother during everything that had happened with Rochelle Barratt. Rachel did not know about Louise Larson though.

With a smile fixed on his face Smithy entered the room again and sat down at the table.

"Sorry." He apologised, making eye contact with Dan. "Work."

Rachel looked disappointed. "Does that mean you have to go?"

"No." Smithy replied still looking at Dan. "Just being informed on a case which I'd been involved in."

Finally the penny dropped and Dan's eyes showed understanding at last.

Rachel nodded, looking interested. She seemed about to ask a question but was stopped as Lee came back into the room balancing a birthday cake and one of the bottles of champayne. Smithy was grateful for the interruption he wasn't ready to talk about Louise yet, especially not to Rachel.

After a fairly tuneless rendition of 'Happy Birthday' Rachel stood up to cut the cake smiling at the other three. Lee poured the champayne into four glasses and passed them around. Smithy gratefully took his glass and slice of cake.

Lee raised his glass. "Happy Birthday Rachel."

He announced and Dan and Smithy raised their glasses too.

"To the future." Dan added.

Smithy seconded this. "To the future."

* * *

Sorry it's so short! I've been so busy this week! Updates will be as often as I can but I can't promise how long they'll be till about Christmas time! Thanks for all your lovely reviews! Please leave more so I can take on your ideas and comments!

Luv ya all!

Phoenix Angelwolf xxx


	3. Drive You Home

**Love Gives, Love Takes  
****Chapter 3 - Drive You Home**

By the time the birthday dinner was finished it was nearly midnight.

"I'd better go." Smithy told the party as he stood up. "Thanks for letting me gatecrash your birthday." He said looking at Rachel.

"I'll drive." Dan told him but Smithy shook his head.

"No, no I'll call a cab, honestly I'll be fine."

"Absolutley not." Dan and Rachel's older brother Lee said to Smithy as he paused with his champayne flute halfway to his lips. "Dan's got 3 bedrooms and one us can crash on the sofa."

"No, it's okay." Smithy began but Lee insisted.

"Oh well okay. If you're sure?" Thanks." Dale said. "But I'll have the sofa, I insist."

Rachel who hadn't said anything got up from the table.

"I'll get some bedding for you. Airing cupboard right Dan?" Her brother nodded in response.

A strange atmosphere settled in over the three men once Rachel had disappeared from the room which made Smithy even more glad when she returned. She put the duvet and two pillows onto the sofa for him.

"I'm goingto bed now. Thanks for the dinner and...everything." She finished lamely.

"Night." They chorused.

"I think we'll turn in too hey?" Dan added and he and Lee left the room leaving Smithy and Rachel alone for a moment.

"Are you sure about sleeping on the sofa?" She asked.

"Yeah it's fine, thank you."

"No problem. Night Smithy."

"Night Rachel." He said watching her walk out of the room.

When Dale Smith woke up her was momentarily disorientated, the confusion lifted as Dan's sister walked into the room. Rachel was wearing a smart charcoal pinstriped suit and a white shirt. Smithy guessed that she was dressed for work.

"Morning." She said trying to be casual as she set a mug of coffee down on the coffee table beside the sofa.

Smithy rubbed his eyes sleepily.

"Morning." He replied then looked from the coffee to Rachel. "Thanks."

The youngest Casper smiled. "I've got to go to work now. I'll leave you with the spare key and you can give it back to Dan."

"Thanks." Smithy replied gratefully. "But I'll be on my way anyway."

He pulled back the duvet, he was already dressed so all he had to do was fold up the bedclothes and drink his coffee.

Rachel locked them both out of the house and posted the key back through the letter box. Seeing as Dan had already left for work and Lee had taken the bus, Rachel offered to drop Smithy back home. Although he didn't want to put Rachel out Smithy didn't decline her offer.

They chatted in a friendly way until Smithy gave directions to his house. Once they arrived Smithy didn't want to leave Rachel. So much had happened in the last twenty four hours that he had become attached to Rachel. Little did he know that she felt the same.

* * *

Sorry, I know how short that chapter was but I felt I had to update! Thanks for all the reviews so far, please keep reviewing, I'll update asap! Luv ya! Vikki x 


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